


gentlecook

by startaroux



Category: One Piece
Genre: Canon Universe, It's Soft, M/M, Mild Language, POV Roronoa Zoro, Sanji Is Not A Vinsmoke, Some Fluff, just zoro having some thoughts about sanji there's not much else to say
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:35:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24229747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startaroux/pseuds/startaroux
Summary: Sanji only owns one single, solitary t-shirt and he only wears it on certain days.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 43
Kudos: 406





	gentlecook

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a simple fool. I see Sanji in _that _t-shirt, I black out and write a fic about it. Enjoy 💜__

Sanji is not a casual chef.

When he cooks, he cooks with his whole heart and nothing less. Every dish the man prepares is crafted perfectly, with each ingredient playing its own important role in the mix. 

Nothing is frivolous. Nothing is excessive. Every component is necessary to the composition of his food in both taste and nutritional value.

It’s his first love after all, and his love deserves nothing but the best.

Sanji is not a man of casual speech.

Whether he’s spewing his over-the-top “I’ll love and protect you forever until the day I die” or his ever-flowery “you’re the most gorgeous human being this wretched soul has ever laid eyes upon,” the idiot is sure to never skimp on how he addresses every woman he meets.

On the other hand, his words toward men are equally over-the-top, if not needlessly crude.

It just isn’t the cook if he isn’t calling every man in sight a “goddamn son of a bitch” or threatening to “kick you so hard you won’t know what year it is when you wake up, you piece of garbage.”

He’s the type of person to go from hot to cold and back again with absolutely no in-between.

It can be jarring and obnoxious, but it’s just who he is at his core and that is surely something that will  _ never _ change.

So then, it stands to reason that Sanji is also not a man of casual dress.

His hair is never messy or unruly and it always falls right over his eye like it was specifically designed that way. The hair on his chin stays trimmed to regulation as well; never too long, never too short.

And then, there's the suit. 

Outsiders looking in probably don't know this, but Sanji hand-tailors his own suits so they fit him exactly. When asked, he'll say something about not being able to trust anyone else to do it right and that, of course, includes each and every article of clothing that goes with the suit.

Pants, jackets, socks, belts. He only wears a specific type of fabric for his shirts and he is the damn pickiest shoe buyer you’ll ever meet in your life.

And it’s apparent that Sanji does all this for a reason. Every element of his life from his cooking to his clothing to his speech to the way he carries himself is a careful image he presents to the rest of the world.

It’s a careful image of a man who won’t be taken lightly. 

An image of someone who is making a name for himself right alongside the man who will be King of the Pirates someday. Certainly, a man of such caliber deserves no less than an extraordinary cook. The best, in fact.

That’s probably how Sanji sees it, anyway.

How he portrays himself is a point of pride for the cook, if not for the appearance itself, then certainly for the work that goes into maintaining it.

But.

There are days - rare days - when the crew has been out to sea for a while with no port in sight and no marines chasing them across the calm horizon.

These are lazy days filled with fishing and games and relaxing on the deck while the afternoon slips away like the memory of a pleasant dream.

Zoro loves these days.

He loves them mostly for the precious time he gets to spend with his friends and for the extra care that he’s allowed to give to his swords with no dangerous action to pull him away. For the extra naps he can squeeze in between other lazy activities.

But then, there's this other reason.

It's on these days in particular that Sanji will let himself slip into the guise of a casual man.

The crew can expect a simple breakfast of eggs and bacon and a laid-back sandwich lunch from a casual Sanji. 

The meal is just as nourishing and made with all the love and attention he gives his other dishes, but without the complicated garnishes and embellishments one might normally find there.

Zoro loves the sandwiches every time.

A casual Sanji will speak softly and without bubbly compliments or aggressive insults. 

He’ll talk about the weather and about his own interests. He’ll talk about a book he read once that reminds him of something Chopper does or about a cat he kept on the Baratie when he was a kid.

He’ll mention how maybe if you try stretching  _ this _ way before your workouts, you might start to see better results.

Zoro doesn’t even think about arguing with a casual Sanji. It would be a waste of time well spent talking about other things.

Besides, that stretching tip actually helps.

Above all this, though. Above everything else, a casual Sanji is a man of relaxed dress.

He dances around his kitchen, light on his bare feet, shoes cast aside for another day and long forgotten.

The sharp, slim trousers are replaced by loose-fitting jeans lazily cuffed a few times at the bottom for comfort. 

Everyone who walks by has to look twice from the shock of seeing Sanji’s calves on full display.

A casual Sanji runs his hand through his hair and doesn't bother with fixing it back the way it was. What would be the point? He'd already left it mussed up from sleep to begin with.

And then, of course, there's the t-shirt.

Sanji only owns one single, solitary t-shirt and he only wears it on those glorious, lazy days.

It's blue and Zoro doesn't exactly understand what it says across the front, but Sanji looks so comfortable and so homey and so  _ good _ in it, that's all that really matters.

The cook doesn't remember where it came from. He says it's just some old shirt he's had forever, and that must be true because it looks like one of the softest pieces of fabric on the ship.

In fact, Zoro knows from experience that it's one of the softest pieces of fabric on the ship.

Zoro knows, because a casual Sanji is always freer than a normal one.

He's freer with his eyes and his words and his expressions and his emotions.

He's freer with his hands as they run through Zoro's hair and down his back while his lips - possibly the freest part of him on these days - press softly to Zoro's, and not for the first time.

Zoro loves Sanji. Whether he's all rough words, hard lines, and even harder kicks or gentle words, soft cotton, and a softer smile behind messy hair. 

He loves every version of Sanji that he's ever seen or that he could ever imagine.

But his favorite Sanji is this one. His favorite is the one that wears t-shirts.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think, would ya? :)
> 
> I'm on [Tumblr](https://ruskaina.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nopleaseexplain)


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